Firefighters from left to right: Mike Cresci, Louis Carballo, Dave Gallagher and Anthony Salaris from Engine 161 Ladder 81. Firefighter Carballo is the lead chef for his team at the Advance Taste-off. The firefighters will send their dish to the event for presentation by two Island chefs.Staten Island Advance/An

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- More than three dozen finalists were selected from scores of recipes submitted to the Advance Cookbook recipe contest. The final round happens Saturday at the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield, where the cooks will present their dishes to several judges. The call for recipes went out around Thanksgiving and ended in early January. And, now, here we are ... ready for the competition tomorrow.

Here are some answers to questions we have received in the couple of days:

Q: Is this contest open to the public?A: Yes, but it is a ticketed event. We gave out the maximum number of tickets already --- you would have received them in the mail already --- and cannot accommodate additional requests.

Q: Was my recipe selected to be in this final round?A: The finalists were contacted already. But you do have a chance of seeing your recipe in print in the Advance Cookbook which comes out on March 17. In that 64-page glossy magazine you will also see the announcement of Saturday's winners.

Q: Will New York City firefighters be cooking tomorrow?A: Yes! There are two firehouses sending their dishes to the Hilton for presentation by two chefs who will substitute for Firefighter Mike Wall of Engine 163 Ladder 83 in Westerleigh and Firefighter Louis Carballo of Engine 161 Ladder 81 in South Beach. The firefighters will be attending a funeral tomorrow morning which is why they will be absent. Eric Bischoff, the Staten Island trustee for the Uniformed Firefighters Union, still will kick off the competition early in the morning.Q: What happens if it snows?A: I am not Tex Antoine. But in the capacity of Advance Food Editor, I believe it will not snow. The forecast also backs me up. I also predict that the groundhog will not see his shadow and that Mayor Bloomberg will wear extra protective gear on his person in case the groundhog gets vicious.